Sakha Republic/Yakutia: The Unique Diamond of Russia (and The Coldest Place on Earth Outside of Antarctica) [Part 1]

In the middle of the map of Russian Federation, there lies the Sakha Republic - a huge chunk of land that resembles the shape of a diamond. This land is also known as "Yakutia" - a name given by the conquering Russians in the 17th century. The Sakha Republic is about the size of India, but with only 1 million permanent residents living there.

The seemingly endless wilderness of Sakha Republic

The reason? It is the heartland of a region known as Siberia (What do you normally associate with this place? Hint: Not beaches and palm trees). To make this more obvious, a town outside of Sakha Republic's capital city Yakutsk had the coldest temperature outside of Antarctica recorded in 1933: -67.7 degrees Celsius (-89.9 degrees Fahrenheit). For most of Yakutian winters, the situation doesn't really become that much optimistic as people often see -40 degrees Celsius as the daily highs instead of daily lows. No, not even the daily average.

Because the city gets so cold in winter. Buildings like this one display the outside temperature 24/7, even when it's not that cold

The hammer and sickle sign suggests that the city of Yakutsk has been showing the temperature probably since the Soviet time....

When I was in Yakutsk, the average temperature, unfortunately, was almost 40 degrees Celsius above the freezing point - so I didn't have the chance to experience any of the wonders mentioned above. Because the temperature was near the record high, a wildfire sparkled in the region near Yakutsk. One problem with wildfire is that because Siberia is vast but very sparsely populated, it is very difficult to be contained. Remember that time when President Putin drove an airtanker to help? I certainly hoped that he was around while I was there - the whole city was covered in smog and smelled like charcoal. As probably you can see now: Sakha Republic is a land of extremes: the difference between the hottest and coldest days is over 100 degrees Celsius!

Yakutsk's new condominium construction in the smog created by the wildfire

Yakutsk in smog created by the wildfire

Yes, even comrade Lenin has to hail a cab in the smog

Not only that, because of the territory's location in the extreme north (200 kilometers away from the arctic circle), the land which the city of Yakutsk sits on is made of permafrost. As a result, since the founding of Yakutsk, digging into the ground has always been a problem. That explains why across the city, people can find sewer pipes, cable tunnels, and all other essential "organs" that make a modern city functioning not under the ground, but above the ground. 

Visible "organs" of a modern city above the ground

The same neighbourhood in the afternoon

Even in the middle of a scorching summer day in Yakutsk, if one wants to be "reminded" of winter, it's still 100% doable. Places such as a cave now known as the "Permafrost Kingdom" remain -10 degrees Celsius all year long. The cave is located about merely 1 meter below the city of Yakutsk, yet it makes possible for people to travel from nearly 40 degrees Celsius to -15 degrees Celsius in a matter of 5 seconds.  Because the these kind of caves are cold pretty much all the time, local residents had been using these caves as freezers until around two decades ago when actual freezers became widely available for average households in Sakha Republic.

Yes, they have a slide made of ice

A fish preserved on the wall made of ice

Many know Sakha Republic for another reason: diamonds. Yakutia Airline, a major Russian airline based in Yakutsk, even has a shiny diamond on their logo. Sakha Republic produces about 99% of all of Russia's diamonds, as well as 25% of all diamonds in the world. You can easily find raw diamonds for sale in many of Yakutsk's shopping malls. If you happen to encounter people from Sakha Republic, many of them will tell you: "I'm from Yakutia. You know, the diamond place". This shows that Sakha Republic as a main diamond producer is well known in Russia and across the world (if you are a diamond fanatic, of course!)

A mining pit

Sakha Republic's most valuable treasure, according to many, is the region's sole UNESCO World Heritage Site - Lena Pillars. These awe-inspiring rock formations tell the story that once upon a time, Sakha Republic was sitting at the bottom of an ocean! In the reflection of Lena River - the 11th longest river in the world, these pillars stand like soldiers, guarding Sakha Republic and its people.

A man sitting in front of the Lena Pillars

From the top of Lena Pillars

Further evidence that Lena Pillars were once under water

The unique location of Sakha Republic gives the land unique characteristics. The abundance in many different types of natural resources and the vast frontier territories bordering the Arctic Ocean have made Sakha Republic a true treasure of Russia which the country needs to rely on in an increasingly competitive global community. With so much potential, Sakha Republic, from its polar sea to the southern forest, will one day be a shiny diamond in the Far East region.

Summer in Sakha Republic can be beautiful

(Part 2 will be discussing Sakha Republic's people and its culture. Stay tuned!)